The number of European broadband users has topped the 100 million mark, according to the European Commission's latest study on broadband usage, which surveyed around 150,000 households across the 27 member states. Europe was placed some 20% higher than the US and Canada combined when it comes to high-speed connections. An encouraging 96% of European schools are connected to the internet, while 77% of EU businesses are now using the internet when dealing with banks.

However, the report also revealed a digital divide which experts fear could damage competitiveness across the region. Some 40 million EU citizens are still not online, and just a fifth of respondents in Romania indicated that they use the internet regularly.